Firearms have been used for several centuries for various purposes including as weapons for warfare, law enforcement, self defense, hunting, and target practice. Although many new weapons and weapon systems have been developed, firearms are still widely used and soldiers are trained in firearm use and carry firearms in essentially all armies throughout the world. Over time, firearms have been improved in many ways, but opportunities for improvement still exist in particular areas and for particular aspects of these devices.
Firearms have been constructed with an ejection port where spent shell casings exit the weapon. Firearms have been manufactured with ejection ports on either side of the weapon and different users prefer right side or left side ejection ports, depending, for example, on whether the user is right handed or left handed or plans to shoot from a right handed stance or a left handed stance. Firearms have been sold that can be converted from a right side ejection port to a left side ejection port, or vice versa, but such firearms typically required additional parts to make the conversion. These additional parts either were not sold with the firearm or added cost to the weapon. A need or potential for benefit or improvement exists for firearms that can be converted from a right side ejection port to a left side ejection port, or vice versa, without additional parts, more easily, more quickly, without adding complexity to the weapon, or a combination thereof, as examples.
In addition, firearms have been equipped with a dust cover over the ejection port to keep dirt and debris from entering the ejection port. Moreover, firearms have been manufactured where the dust cover opens automatically, for example, when the weapon is fired or when the bolt or carrier is moved (e.g., in either direction). But such firearms have typically opened the dust cover for only one ejection port at a time. Furthermore, it has long been recognized that firearms can overheat in a battlefield situation where the firearm is fired a large number of times in a relatively short period of time. Firearms have been designed with various characteristics that promote cooling, including promoting ventilation of the barrel. Needs or potential for benefit or improvement exist, however, for firearms that dissipate heat better, more easily, more quickly, from other parts of the firearm, without adding excessive complexity to the weapon, or a combination thereof, as examples.
Room for improvement exists over the prior art in these and other areas that may be apparent to a person of skill in the art having studied this document.